NEW ORLEANS, July 28 (UPI) -- Adult stem cells extracted during liposuction can be used to grow new, small-diameter blood vessels for use in heart bypass surgery, U.S. researchers say.

Lead author Matthias Nollert -- an associate professor at the University of Oklahoma School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, in Norman, Okla. -- said the liposuction-derived vessels, grown in a laboratory, could help solve major problems associated with grafting blood vessels from elsewhere in the body or from using artificial blood vessels that are not living tissue.

In the study, adult stem cells derived from fat were turned into smooth muscle cells in the laboratory, and then "seeded" onto a very thin collagen membrane.

As the stem cells multiplied, the researchers rolled them into tubes matching the diameter of small blood vessels. In three to four weeks, they grew into usable blood vessels, Nollert said.

"Current small-diameter vessel grafts carry an inherent risk of clotting, being rejected or otherwise failing to function normally," Nollert said in a statement. "Our engineered blood vessels have good mechanical properties and we believe they will contract normally when exposed to hormones. They also appear to prevent the accumulation of blood platelets -- a component in blood that causes arteries to narrow."

The findings were presented at the American Heart Association's Basic Cardiovascular Sciences scientific sessions in New Orleans.

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Blood vessels from liposuction stem cells

Imagine a man with a recent severe heart attack who has the muscle repaired with stem cells or a child with a severe bladder defect repaired with stem cells grown on a biodegradable scaffold. Sounds like science fiction but these are actual clinical studies in progress today. Stem cell therapies promise to be one of those scientific breakthroughs that will have an enormous impact on health care in the future. Stem cells will bring us closer to the goal of personalized medicine, just as genomics is doing. The course of a disease will change once we have the technology to develop and then insert stem cells into the human body to actually create a tissue. For example, a person with a heart attack will not go on to live the rest of his or her life with damaged heart muscle and resultant heart failure. Instead, stem cells will repopulate the heart muscle and make it whole again. Similarly, a person with Parkinsons disease will recover full faculties thanks to the ability of stem cells to regenerate the damaged area of the brain. The person with type I diabetes will be free of the disease because of the formation of new pancreatic islet cells. The athlete will play again because new cartilage will be created for the worn knee. This is the promise of regenerative medicine. I have written the above as though each will definitely happen, a promise that will be kept. They probably will, but it may be a long time before the science of stem cells is sufficiently developed that these types of incredible results will be commonplace. Adult stem cells are being used today for treatment of a few diseases and there are studies ongoing and planned for many additional possibilities. Lets consider a few of them. Each of our tissues has a population of cells that can divide as needed to keep the organ or tissue functional as cells die or are injured. We see this with our skin as it constantly lays down new cells which make their way to the surface as the dead cells on the surface are rubbed off in the shower. We also see it when we cut ourselves and yet in a few days the wound is completely healed that was stem cells at work. It appears that essentially every organ has its own pool of such cells. There are cells in the bone marrow that can become stem cells for many different tissues. These cells circulate in the blood and can be called to assist a tissue or organ to rebuild itself after injury or damage. So for example, if a surgeon takes one half of a fathers liver for transplantation into his son, we know that the fathers liver will grow back to normal size within about 6 to 8 weeks. Some of the stem cells will have been those already in the liver but some will have come from the blood stream to assist. Of course, the liver is the exception to the rule that if a portion of an organ is removed by trauma or surgery, it will not grow back. Cut off your finger and stem cells will help it to heal but not to grow back to its original state. Adult stem cells are the ones used for treating leukemia, myeloma and other cancers and for correcting certain childhood immune deficiencies. Most often is the use of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, meaning the use of stem cells obtained from a closely matched individual. An identical twin is ideal but few have such a potential donor. Only 25% of siblings will likely match completely. This leaves the use of the National Marrow Donor Registry to find as close a match as possible from unrelated individuals. The Registry has markedly improved the chances for a close match and thus for successful transplantation outcomes. Many parents are now having umbilical cord blood saved and frozen to have available in the unlikely event that their child requires a transplant many years later. Although these cells are identical they usually are not sufficient in numbers to lead to engraftment and often the white blood cells (neutrophils) recover only very slowly leaving a prolonged period of infection risk. Perhaps a technique will be found to get the umbilical stem cells to multiply in the laboratory so that a larger number would be available. Adult stem cells are being used in studies of myocardial infarction and heart failure. Current guidelines of immediate angioplasty and stent insertion as appropriate help protect the heart from permanent damage after an infarct. Still, about 400,000 new cases of heart failure are developing in the USA each year. Long term survival is limited once overt failure develops. Could the damaged heart muscle be fixed? The concept is to use stem cells to repopulate the muscle fibers and to have those cells divide over and over and differentiate into new muscle fibers or perhaps also the small vessels that carry blood to the muscle cells. So far there are some exciting animal studies and even some trials in patients that are encouraging enough to warrant further evaluations. For example, one study uses adult mesenchymal stem cells derived from the bone marrow and infused intravenously within 7 days after a heart attack. 42 centers are collaborating in this double blind, randomized trail in conjunction with Osiris Therapeutics. 220 patients will receive either the stem cells or a placebo and then be monitored with various imaging and functional studies. So, stay tuned. Another common albeit less lethal problem is loss of bladder control leading to incontinence. There are studies in progress to determine if stem cells placed into the bladders sphincter muscle will help it regain control. The adult stem cells are obtained from a leg muscle biopsy. Stem cells are isolated and allowed to grow in tissue culture. These are then injected into the weakened bladder sphincter muscle. Once again, these are studies just beginning but with intriguing early results. Here is another bladder repair concept. When the bladder muscle is weak or largely missing in children it may be possible to literally rebuild the bladder by tissue engineering. A biopsy of the bladder yields cells that can be grown in the laboratory to large numbers. They can then be placed on a biodegradable scaffold and grown further. In time they seem to create a new bladder muscle wall complete with blood vessels. This layer of cells can be implanted in the bladder of children with a defect. Once more I need to note that it is still early days in these studies but they do raise exciting possibilities. The message here is that adult stem cells are being used today for life threatening and life impairing diseases with excellent success and are being studied in other diseases with exciting prospects for the future.

Stephen C Schimpff, MD is an internist, professor of medicine and public policy, former CEO of the University of Maryland Medical Center and is chair of the advisory committee for Sanovas, Inc. and senior advisor to Sage Growth Partners. He is the author of The Future of Medicine Megatrends in Healthcare and The Future of Health Care Delivery- Why It Must Change and How It Will Affect You from which this post is partially adapted. Updates are available at http://medicalmegatrends.blogspot.com

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Medical Megatrends – Stem Cells – Part II of III

Stem cell injections in dogs will become routine in the next two years and will probably cost less than $1000.

The first data, collated last week, into the use of the procedure where cultured cells are injected into the joints of dogs with hip dysplasia or canine osteoarthritis has shown a success rate of 96 per cent.

The procedure will be made available to veterinary clinics, promoted at dog shows and possibly in a television campaign.

It has been transformed in little more than a year with stem cells from one animal used to treat other dogs.

Previously, an invasive procedure was necessary, with incisions to remove subcutaneous or fatty tissue from the affected dog and stem cells isolated in a laboratory before being injected back into the dog.

The procedure resulted in a culture containing only about 10 per cent to 15 per cent stem cells, while the culture from a donor in a breed with a genetic line clear of arthritis can been screened to provide a culture containing 100 per cent stem cells.

The figures were collected from vets by Australian Veterinary Stem Cells, which supplies stem cell treatments and has a partnership with the immunology and stem cell research department at Monash University in Melbourne.

The sample size for the study was small at 150 but only about 1000 animals have had the treatment.

The results found that with an injection into the affected joint, 60 per cent of dogs had a ''significant improvement'' while 96 per cent of dogs showed ''improvement''.

For dogs given an intravenous injection - usually older animals not suitable for a general anaesthetic - vets reported 79 per cent improved.

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Lame dogs brought to heal with stem cells

MIAMI (WTVJ/NBC) - It is widely known that stem cells can be used in life-saving treatments for deadly diseases.

Now they are being used in the fight against wrinkles.

Donna Pritchit recently had a "stem cell" makeover.

The 64-year-old headed into the operating room wanting to turn back the hands of time without it being totally obvious.

"I don't want someone to stop and go by and say Oh, she had a facelift.' I want to have someone say Donna went on vacation she must be having a great life,'" she said before the $5,000 procedure began.

Dr. Sharon McQuillan at the Ageless Institute in Aventura, FL marked the areas where she would take fat out of Pritchit's belly - and place it back into her face.

The retired teacher also hoped it would be her last step in getting rid of embarrassing acne scars.

The outpatient procedure began with traditional liposuction, and then McQuillan and her team processed that fat and concentrated the stem cells so they could be injected into Pritchit's wrinkles and in places where she has lost fullness.

"Stem cells in general are the cells in your body that regenerate tissue and heal tissue, and they make the skin look beautiful and younger," McQuillan explained.

While there are not many long-term studies on the procedure, McQuillan said the results are permanent.

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Stem cell 'makeovers' provide a way to get rid of wrinkles

Stem cells for neck injury: $20 million July 27th, 2012, 3:45 pm posted by Pat Brennan, science, environment editor

Human neural stem cell. Image courtesy StemCells Inc.

The states stem-cell institute has awarded $20 million to UC Irvine researchers, along with a private company, to prepare the way for human testing of a treatment for spinal-cord injuries in the neck region one that could restore movement and independence for some of the 1.3 million spinal-cord injury sufferers in the United States.

The treatment, developed by the husband and wife research team, Aileen Anderson and Brian Cummings, along with StemCells Inc. of Newark, Ca., would involve injecting versatile human neural stem cells into the neck area.

The cells, capable of transforming themselves based on cues from the body, could then migrate to the injured area and perhaps repair the protective sheaths, known as myelin, around nerve cells. If the treatment works as expected, it would restore movement and body control for patients with debilitating injuries.

While the treatment has the potential to allow the paralyzed to walk again, more modest gains are more likely and well worth the effort, Anderson said Friday.

UC Irvine husband-wife research team, Brian Cummings and Aileen Anderson. Courtesy UC Irvine.

Obviously that would be, of course, what we in our wildest dreams would see in a clinical trial, she said. But likely what youre going to see for any spinal cord injury is much more incremental improvement in function. For people with spinal cord injuries, that could be a huge thing. It could help with health care costs, the ability to function independently. If you can type on a computer, versus not, or write with a pen it changes an awful lot.

The $20 million was among $150 million authorized on Thursday by the board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, a stem-cell funding body created by a California voter initiative in 2004.

Anderson and Cummings are among a cadre of stem-cell scientists at UCIs Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, and have already pushed the field forward.

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Stem cells for neck injury: $20 million

Award to Fund IND-Enabling Activities for the Company's HuCNS-SC(R) Neural Stem Cells in Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

Decision on Funding Alzheimer's Program Deferred to CIRM's September Board Meeting

NEWARK, Calif., July 26, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StemCells, Inc. (STEM) today announced that the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has approved an award to the Company and its collaborators for up to $20 million under CIRM's Disease Team Therapy Development Award program (RFA 10-05). The award is to fund preclinical development of StemCells' proprietary HuCNS-SC(R) product candidate (purified human neural stem cells) as a potential treatment for cervical spinal cord injury. The award will provide funding over a maximum four-year period, with the goal of filing an investigational new drug (IND) application to begin clinical testing in that time. CIRM deferred a decision on the Alzheimer's disease application submitted by StemCells and referred the application back to CIRM's Grants Working Group for further consideration. CIRM is expected to review the application again at the next meeting of its governing board currently scheduled for September 6th.

"We understand that this was a very competitive process and we are extremely grateful to CIRM for its support," commented Martin McGlynn, President and CEO of StemCells, Inc. "We view this decision by CIRM as a strong vote of confidence in our neural stem cell technology and the world class team of scientists and clinicians who will be collaborating to translate this exciting research into potential treatments and cures for patients with spinal cord injury. We are currently conducting a Phase I/II trial in thoracic spinal cord injury. This funding now allows us the opportunity to expand testing of our cells for cervical spinal cord injury, the most common form of spinal cord injury."

StemCells will evaluate its HuCNS-SC cells as a potential treatment for cervical spinal cord injury in collaboration with a team led by Aileen Anderson, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Anatomy and Neurobiology at University of California, Irvine. Dr. Anderson's laboratory has a long history of collaboration with StemCells in spinal cord injury, including the studies which led to the world's first clinical trial for a neural stem cell therapeutic in chronic spinal cord injury. This Phase I/II clinical trial, currently underway in Zurich, Switzerland, recently reported positive safety data from the first cohort of treated patients, and continues to enroll patients from Europe, the United States and Canada.

About Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury affects approximately 1.3 million people in the United States, for which there are no effective treatment options. Moreover, spinal cord injuries are a significant financial drain on the public health system. Cervical spinal cord injuries represent approximately half of all spinal cord injuries, for which lifetime healthcare costs range from $1.8 to $3.3 million per patient, depending upon severity of the injury.

About CIRM

CIRM was established in November 2004 with the passage of Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act. The statewide ballot measure, which provided $3 billion in funding for stem cell research at California universities and research institutions, was overwhelmingly approved by voters, and called for the establishment of an entity to make grants and provide loans for stem cell research, research facilities, and other vital research opportunities. A list of grants and loans awarded to date may be seen here: http://www.cirm.ca.gov/for-researchers/researchfunding.

The two applications submitted by StemCells, Inc. under CIRM's RFA 10-05 for cervical spinal cord injury and for Alzheimer's disease, as well as the feedback on each application from CIRMS's grants working group, can be viewed on the CIRM website at http://www.cirm.ca.gov/research-summaries-rfa-10-05-cirm-disease-team-therapy-development-awards.

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StemCells, Inc. Awarded $20 Million From the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine